C3SLD provides many opportunities to engage with events at Auroville and when I received a message from Poovizhi that for the Siddhi Day, Arulvazhi School organized a speech on The Mother and Sri Aurobindo at Savitri Bhavan, delivered by Varatharajan Sir, and Shyamala Amma I decided to participate in it and learn from it. I had heard them share some of their experiences with the Mother as pioneers of Auroville and I was eager to learn more.
Conversations on THE SIGNIFICANCE
OF SIDDHI DAY (24 November 1926)
DISCIPLE: I do not know the
significance of the 24th of November 1926; some say it is the immortality day
while others say it was the descent of Krishna’s personality.
SRI AUROBINDO: It has nothing to do
with immortality. It is the descent of Krishna.
DISCIPLE: Some say November 24th
is a day of victory. By that, some mean that the Supermind (supramental
consciousness) descended into the physical consciousness of Sri Aurobindo.
Others say it was the coming down of Krishna into the physical consciousness.
If it was the descent of Krishna, does that mean the descent of the supramental
light?
SRI AUROBINDO: Krishna is not the
supramental light. The descent of Krishna would mean the descent of the
Overmind Godhead preparing, though not itself actually bringing, the descent of
Supermind and Ananda. Krishna is the Anandamaya, he supports the evolution
through the Overmind leading it towards his Ananda.
— Sri Aurobindo, CWSA 35: 272-273 In the talk Varatharajan Sir and Shyamala Amma shared their profound experiences of how they connect and interact with The Mother and Sri Aurobindo, offering deep insights and inspiration.
I attended sessions by Varatharajan Sir and Shyamala
Amma, where I experienced something profound—goosebumps ran through my body,
and it felt as if the whole world was embracing my heart. One significant
lesson I learned from them is, “You work with the people who come to you.”
This insight will guide and support me in my future growth.
They also emphasized that those with goodwill are
always welcome in Auroville, as they can contribute to essential areas like
education, water management, healthcare, and creating work opportunities.
Additionally, I had the privilege of decorating
flowers at the Matri Mandir. This act felt like a meaningful offering for
Siddhi Day.
The divine beauty of the flower arrangements reminds
me of Krishna’s consciousness. It feels as though I can hear Krishna playing
His flute under the Banyan tree! His consciousness, descending into the
physical realm, impacts life on Earth in the most profound and transformative
ways. It helped me connect with the universal values of happiness that manifest
through me.
From September 30, 2024 to October 4, 2024, a group of students from Arulvazhi School visited STEM Land to explore and learn about various STEM activities. We warmly welcomed them and began the session with “Stand and Fear.” Through this activity, students reflected on their full potential. These sessions helped break barriers and encouraged teamwork. Each student introduced themselves and shared their qualities in unique ways. When students shared their fears or challenges, it created a sense of connection and understanding among them. This openness encouraged care and love, allowing participants to see each other as individuals rather than just classmates/schoolmates.
Children said that, they
were able to realize who they were from deep inside. They mentioned that the
socialized fears were prevalent in their everyday lives and they wondered how
they failed to notice them before attending the RTL session. The tools helped
them notice, name and let go of their fears and helped them to understand who
they from possibility. One of the students mentioned that RTL was more related
to life than the usual lessons they learn in classrooms.
After the RTL session,
the students eagerly explored different STEM activities such as Scratch
programming, Electronics and Robotics. It was a memorable experience for both
the students and our team. Initially, we started teaching electronics as they
were keen to learn it. The session began with an introduction to basic terms
like resistance, current and voltage.
They learnt about
resistance and measured their body resistance using a multimeter. They also
learnt how to light an LED with the help of a battery and a resistor, and even
through their body. Following this, the students had time to explore Scratch
programming and were given simple tasks to accomplish. They had the opportunity
to work with Makey Makey, which helped them understand conductors and
non-conductors.
They were able to apply
their Scratch knowledge in their Makey Makey projects. Additionally, they were
introduced to Finch robots and were able to control the robots by creating
simple programs using the Snap app. On the last day, the students explored the
games available at STEM land. We observed teamwork throughout their visit. All
these activities helped the students improve their knowledge in various
domains, and for many, it was their first exposure to such technologies. Their
active participation each day fueled our enthusiasm for teaching.
At the end of the session, children were asked to give feedback regarding their learnings at STEM. They said that they got an opportunity to explore material-based learning. It helped them to understand the concepts better and in an easier manner. They also said that the method of teaching both electronics and programming helped them to think more. They were able to find out solutions from their learnings without the answers being directly given.
Reflection from
Madhivadhani S (Student from Arulvazhi):
The learning sessions at
STEM was very useful for me. I learnt to make sounds using makey makey, program
a robot and to code in scratch. The activities made me think a lot. I could
visually see the outputs in scratch coding. It helped me correct my code by the
movement of the sprite, when it did not do what I expected it to do. When I
made a mistake, the teachers did not tell me the right answer directly, instead
they gave clarity on why my answer was wrong. This helped me find the right
solution by myself. The learning session gave me a platform to do peer
learning. It helped to get along with my friends by helping each other which
made the learning much easier and more interesting than the usual individual
learning.
Reflections of
facilitators…
Jayabharathy:
My name is Jayabharathy.
I stand for care and courage for myself and others. The session with the
Arulvazhi school children gave me an opportunity to work with children of
different grades simultaneouslyrather than a single grade. Through this event,
I learnt to change my level of explanation as per the understanding capability
of children of different age groups. I also learnt to maintain a domination and
groupism free learning space. I initially went there thinking I would support
them for an hour or two. However, their eagerness to learn about electronics
and Scratch motivated me to assist them throughout all the sessions they
attended. I could see the joy of learning among the children as they made the
LED glow using a battery, resistor, and wires. I also observed peer learning
among the children. The older ones gave space to the younger ones and helped
them accomplish tasks. These were valuable lessons that I intend to incorporate
into my own life as I work with my team and juniors.
Arunkumar:
My name is Arunkumar I
stand for Peace and Equity for myself and others, I supported Arulvazhi
children on electronics and Makey Makey sessions, it was an interesting
session. When we asked children to taste the current, initially hesitated out
of fear they were then able to transcend it and taste the current. The children
were from 4th grade to higher secondary so I assumed that only the elder
children will learn more and won’t work along with the younger ones, but they
were actually inspiring the young ones and shared their learnings and guided
them to participate fully.
Poonguzhali:
My name is Poonguzhali I
stand for courage for myself and others. I volunteered to support the holiday
camp whenever I had time. As a team, we worked to our full potential, children
took part in many activities they enjoyed. I feel grateful for being a part of
the camp as it allowed me to interact with children in the during the break and
I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent supporting it.
Soundhariya:
My name is Soundhariya. I
stand for care and courage for myself and others. I saw that the children were
able to understand concepts and learn how these ideas connect to concrete
visualization and everyday life and it madelearning more effective and fun.
Using hands-on tools allows children to grasp concepts more quickly and enjoy
learning.
The sessions had a
positive impact on students and it helped them develop critical thinking and
problem-solving skills. I was able to notice this during the LED experiment. I
gave an introduction about the terminals of the LED, the battery and resistance.
With this information, they were able to make the LED glow from light to dark
through the help of different resistors. This approach also encouraged
collaborative learning with others.
When students actively
participate in STEM activities, they become more aware of their own progress.
As I was teaching them operate finch robot, they said the coding that they
learnt the previous day in scratch helped them to do the finch activity. They also
said that they were able to notice their improvement as they moved from scratch
to snap. .
Gunavathi:
My name is Gunavathi, I stand for happiness for myself and others. While I was teaching students about finch robot 2.0, I felt responsible. When they understood the concept of move and degrees, I noticed children being curious and enthusiastic. At that moment, I understood inspiring children will lead them to learn themselves.
Poovizhi:
My name is Poovizhi, I stand for equality and equity for myself and others. Arulvazhi school teachers were inspired by the sessions we did during the STEAM camp we did during the summer and they have heard from children that they are interested to learn more from STEM land, so the teachers contacted me and asked if we could have a one week program for children during their quarterly leave. STEM land is open for anyone at any age who wants to learn and organised for the transport and the sessions. I feel grateful that I was able to coordinate and organise the session. I saw the joy of learning in children.
On the 12th
of October 2024, a group of teachers from Odisha came to visit STEMland. It was
an exciting day filled with learning and fun activities.
STEMland is a place where children and adults can explore and learn science, technology, engineering, and math in creative ways. Here, we use different materials and activities to make learning interesting and hands-on.
First, we start with Stand and Fear in Radical Transformational Leadership. Through the STAND, teachers reflected on their identities, who they are, what they deeply care about, and the fears that keep them from reaching their full potential.
These sessions helped them break down challenges and work better as a team. Each teacher introduced themselves and shared their qualities in a special way. These are the qualities the teacher shared in this session.
After completing the RTL session, they explored some
STEMland activities like Finch Robot using Snap, Games,3D printer, Maths
materials and Craft work.
Finch
Robots in Snap:
The teachers got to play with Finch robots, which can be programmed using Snap. Snap is a simple coding platform where we can move robots on the floor, but the code was used here to control the robots. They learned how to make the robots move, dance, and even follow a path using simple commands. Using the Pencil, we can draw the diagram using Finch Robots on the chart paper.
Games: Games are a fun way to learn different skills. The teachers saw how we use educational games at STEMland to teach math and problem-solving. These games make learning feel like play, which helps teachers understand concepts in different manner. While playing the games, we can notice how we are thinking in a logical way and its very fun activities.
Math Materials: In STEMland, we have special math tools that help children learn math through hands-on activities. Our guests explored these materials and saw how they make math more visual and understandable, instead of just solving sums on paper. We explained how multiplication is visualized using the Dienes blocks, and they also understood place value concepts like Ones, Tens, Hundreds, and Thousands through area models. Then, they explored algebraic tiles to understand expressions like (a+b)², (a+b+c)², and the Pythagorean theorem, which shows how c² = a² + b².
Craft Work: Besides learning science and math, STEMland also encourages creativity. Our visitors enjoyed seeing craft work like Kirigami. This Craft activities help improve hand skills, attention to detail, concentration, and allow to express their creativity, such as in the precise folding techniques used to make craft balls.
3D
Printer:
It is a special machine that can take a digital design and turn it into a real object by building it layer by layer. Our guests had the chance to explore our 3D printer. This was an exciting part of their visit, where they learned about how 3D printing works and even created a small object themselves.
So, we showed them how it works. We selected a simple
design—a small pyramid—and demonstrated the printing process. The printer
carefully built the pyramid layer by layer, using a special plastic material.
It was a slow and detailed process, but our guests were excited to watch as the
small pyramid visually.
Watching the
3D printer was fun and a great learning experience. By creating a small object
like a pyramid, they understood how 3D printing can be used in various fields
like design, engineering, and art. The little pyramid they printed became a
memorable part of their experience!
Conclusion
The visitors
from Odisha left STEMland with a lot of new ideas and experiences. They were
excited to take some of these ideas back home to share with others. It was a
wonderful day of learning, exploring, and exchanging knowledge.
Visiting Teacher’s Reflection
The group
observed the PCs and others in STEM Land have developed certain life skills
which are integrated into each and every activity there. The STEM Land people
are aware of their STAND or their universal values which connect them to the
purpose of their lives. Each of them is aware of their socialized FEARs which
makes them aware of what changes in themselves they would bring in and make
necessary progress.
Thus, the
whole STEM Land is a space for inner progress while dealing with the tools,
machinery, games, activities and projects whether within Auroville or for
external companies.
One
discovers the purpose of life to pursue and the slough to clear in one’s life
and makes necessary progress to realise the aim of life in STEM Land
consciously. Activities and projects are media to realise these objectives.
This was clearly felt by the group members while they were there whatever short
time they had.
Their
openness to learning and helping others to learn about themselves is something
unique among STEM Land members. Some group members perceived as some STEM Land
members are really sadhaks
Poovizhi
My name is
Poovizhi and I stand for Equality and Equity for myself and others. When the
teachers from Orrisa came to our campus Ramanarayana introduced me to the team
and I welcomed them and introduced STEM land. I gave them a broad view of the
B.Voc, Shifu program, C3STREAM land and went into STEM land and shared our core
values and how we put them in action and shift system and cultural norms. I
explained the ground rules and how we work with children. They were interested
to hear that we also have provided trainings for teachers as STEM educators. I
did the setup of sourcing our own inner capacity but they were more comfortable
in doing the session in Hindi so Sanjeev anna came and supported the session.
Later they explored STEM activities I had a good experience and it would have
been a bit challenging if anna was not available. I got inspired that I need to
learn more than two languages.
Poonguzhali
My name is
Poonguzhali, and I stand for courage for myself and others. In this session, I
realized my full potential while working with Odisa teachers. I explained one
of the STEAM activities, Kirigami (Papercraft). Before we started making
kirigami balls, the teachers were excited about how we would make a ball from
pieces of paper. We began by coloring the paper, and some of them drew
different patterns they liked, before finally cutting the paper with scissors.
They were very focused and patient in their work, and when we finished, I could
see the satisfaction and joy on their faces. I enjoyed the session and got to
engage with new teachers.
Arun Kumar
My name is
Arun Kumar i stand for Peace and Equity for myself and others, I learned that
everyone love to learn and play. The Teachers showed great enthusiasm and a
competitive spirit in games like Abalone, Tangram, Dobble, and Genius Square.
Their eagerness to participate and win proves how important it is to keep
learning and staying active, no matter how old we get. It also showed me that
doing things together makes everyone happy and connected.
We have recently visited Pichandikulam, and it was a
wonderful experience! This place is not just beautiful; it tells an amazing
story. A long time ago, this area was mostly empty, but the local and Auroville
community worked hard to plant trees and create a forest.
As we walked through the forest, we were amazed by all the
plants and animals. The trees, which the villagers and Auroville community
planted with love, provide homes for many birds and small animals. It felt
peaceful to listen to the birds singing and the leaves rustling in the wind.
They shared stories about how they built the forest together
and why taking care of nature is so important. Their passion for protecting the
environment really inspired us.
Pichandikulam showed us how small actions can make a big
difference. We left with happy memories and a strong desire to care for our
planet.
Santhosh’s Reflection:
My name is Santhosh, I stand for kindness and wisdom for
myself and others. I have learned many facts and pieces of information about
forests. In the museum, I learned many things about our Tamil people’s
traditions and history and enjoyed the presence of nature in the Pitchandikulam
forest trip.
Figure 1: Snacks around the forest and
its types
Arun’s Reflection:
My name is Arun Kumar, and I believe in peace and equity for
myself and others. Last week, while exploring the man-made Pichandikulam
forest, I discovered a wealth of medicinal plants. The trees here don’t grow
beyond 50 feet due to the Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest climate. This forest
was created by bringing seeds from other similar forests, with a strong focus
on medicinal plants.
Figure 2:Things people have used earlier and Fossils
Additionally, I explored ancient fossils and equipment used
by ancient people. I also came across a strong variety of lemon plant. The
experience was enriching and deepening my understanding of nature and
history. The overall experience makes me
realize that when I act for a noble cause, even if it appears crazy at first,
it ultimately demonstrates my unwavering commitment to care and compassion over
time. The initial suspicion fades, revealing the strength of my beliefs.
~ Jayabharathy, Poonguzhali, Tamilarasan, Sandhiya Bala, Kugan, Duraisamy, Poovizhi
RTL session was conducted
for the B.Voc students on 14th and 21st of September. 1st,
2nd and 3rd year students took part in it. It was
conducted in Tamil. It was the first time the first years were attending the
session. The session on 14th started with few minutes of meditation
followed by ground rules. The Tamil PCs came up with tools like stand and
feart, four profiles, deep listening and commitment for action behind
complaints on the same day. Though it was something new for the first years,
they participated actively by sharing their insights in the plenary.
One of the students said
that he noticed that the values and fear that he recognized during the activity
was not something new to him. He said, it was already present within him and
RTL helped him to bring it out which he has not been giving much importance to
before. Again, one of the first-year student shared in the plenary that he
doesn’t like when someone does distracted listening when he speaks. So, he made
a commitment that he will also not do distracted listening thereafter.
The session continued
again on 21st as well during which tools like Systems principles
(story of stuff film), Architecture for Equitable Change: Partial &
Conscious-Full Spectrum Response Model, Emotional reaction Vs Courageous heart
response and Realise & Respond were handled by the PCs. The designing of
project using the CFSR sheet helped the participants to notice the shifts they
can bring out by finding solutions to the issues that lie around them. Students
eagerly discussed their own examples of when they acted from their emotional
reaction and how they could have transformed it to be better if they had used
courageous heart response. The session as a whole provided a gateway for the
first-year students to get exposed to RTL and to mingle with people around
them. The session helped the other participants to learn the tools again with a
fresher’s mindset and to reframe their projects with their new learnings.
Jayabharathy:
My name is Jayabharathy.
I stand for care and courage for myself and for others. As usual I participated
in the RTL session with a beginner’s mind. I was taking part as a table anchor
(English PC). The first session was a little challenging for me. I found it
interesting to bring out the values and stand of students. It wasn’t that easy
as it was the first time the first years were attending RTL. Few members of the
team initially seemed to be not interested. When I talked to them, I noticed
that they had a pre assumption that it will be like one of their subject
classes where they will be simply asked to not down concepts and study. As the
session proceeded, they understood that it was something related to their self-realization.
I could notice increased keenness sometime later as they shared their examples
within the group and insights in the plenary. As a PC, motivating the
participants to share their insights in the plenary was enthusiastic too. I
managed to provide enough suggestions and motivation to ask them to share their
thoughts in front of others. When thy were hesitant to go in front of others
and speak, I was able to relate their actions to the fear that they said. I
asked them to overcome by using the tool that they just learnt and it worked
out well. Since they were a new batch, they did not know each other much. By
participating in the session, the students who already took turn and shared insights
started motivating others who were neglecting to share. I was able to notice
the team work and interdependence among the students. It was a great
opportunity for me to mingle with the students and to learn along with them.
Poonguzhali:
My name is Poonguzhali. I
stand for courage for myself and others. These RTL sessions helped me to look
at myself deeply and reflect on it. I saw the RTL program as both a personal
transformation and a team-building program. I coordinated the RTL session this
time. It was a very unique experience for me and it helped me to overcome my
fear of presenting in front of others. I felt that it was a fulfilling
activity. The B.Voc students actively participated and shared their reflections
on stage. I noticed courage as not the absence of fear but the ability to act
despite it.
Tamilarasan:
My name is Tamil. I stand
for courage and compassion, for myself and others. My reflection on the B-Voc
RTL session is that I feel glad the students are learning RTL. During these
sessions, students faced many challenges with their stand. It’s very helpful
for them, as it allows them to make better decisions. Additionally, they have
learned to listen deeply to others’ conversations, which is an important skill.
While practicing tools, students are collaborating with each other, which helps
build healthy relationships.
SandhiyaBala:
My name is SandhiyaBala
and I deeply care about courage, care and happiness for myself and others. I
noticed that stepping up to work in the comfortable zone is an uncomfortable
zone. I learnt to step up to support others. I learnt to process insight from
others
Kugan:
The sessions were
engaging and provided valuable insights. The students displayed a keen interest
and actively participated in discussions, which enriched the learning
experience for everyone involved.
Duraisamy:
My name is Duraisamy Pandurangan I deeply care about dignity, wisdom, and the freedom of myself and others. While session with children and youth, I see that they bring valuable insights about the world around them. These insights can lead to positive changes in society and help build a sustainable environment that fosters a better world for all.
Poovizhi:
I got an opportunity to deliver couple of tools and supported my team mates in delivering the tools. The session went really well. Some times I found the insights and question for clarities to be processed as challenging but I learnt it. One of my colleague who has done this workshop earlier has come and told me that only this time she got clarity between partial and full spectrum response. The session was both in Tamil and English so there was no language barrier and students shared their insights without hesitation.
Praveen Kumar – 3rd
year student:
I leant to notice my
values and fear. I learnt a new way of introducing myself. Each time, when I
introduce myself in the manner I learnt, it reminds me of who I am. I learnt
how to take complaints in a way that it helps me to grow. I also learnt to act
from my universal values to know my full potential.
Vishal K – 2nd
year student:
Though I have attended
more than two sessions of RTL, this session seemed to be new to me. The session
was in Tamil, which was very different from the previous sessions that I
attended. It helped me to understand better and take part in it actively.
Ayushjena – 2nd
year student:
I noticed that my
learnings are the steps for bringing in improvements in my life. I noticed that
acting from my emotional reaction leads to mental disturbance and I can
transcend the situation through courageous heart response.
STEM Land was invited to Salem to conduct a three-day capacity-building and Electronics workshop with the Students of 7th and 9th grade along with all the teachers at Vidhya Peetham School. The workshop aimed to engage with the Students and Teachers and help them understand basic Electronics and on building leadership skills in the teachers and students using Radical Transformational Leadership Tools (RTL) (Monica Sharma, 2017).
Day-1(On 23rd August 2024)
Morning
Session:
We
introduced ourselves using our universal values which made the students and teachers
curious about the same. The introduction was followed by a session Stand &
Fear Tool where the students and teachers identified and enquired about their
universal values and how they can harness them to face their fears. After this
we gave a brief introduction on Mathegramming and our core values, we proceeded
the workshop with the foundational concepts of
electricity, creating a truly dynamic learning experience!
Purpose: Empowering Minds and Energizing Learning
The primary goal of this
workshop was twofold:
To help participants tap into their inner strengths and develop leadership skills.
To provide a solid understanding of Electric current and its principles. This included learning about charge, voltage, current, power, and energy.
Later, Dinesh introduced the exciting world of electric currents, explaining fundamental concepts and giving exercises to solidify understanding. Participants learned about household electricity, types of batteries, and even calculated energy consumption!
Afternoon
Session:
Post-lunch, the mood was lightened with a fun video and a dance session (Thought break), and we introduced Deep Listening and Background Conversations with both Students and Teachers. The session incorporated time for reflection they can reflect on the past and apply what they learned to think about what they could have done differently.
Using materials like LEDs, multimeters, and connecting wires, students explored real-life applications of electrical concepts. They tested conductivity, and body resistance, and learned the differences between poor and good conductors. The hands-on activities not only deepened their understanding but also made learning incredibly fun!
Outcomes:
Day
1 of the basics of electronics workshop was a remarkable success. Participants
discovered their inner values, learned to face their fears, and
Deep Listening and Background Conversations, and gained a thorough understanding of electric currents. They didn’t
just learn the theory—they lived it!
Electronics and Circuits Workshop – Day 2(On
24rd August 2024)
The second day started with a two-minute stillness and focused attention on breathing, then we introduced to the four profiles i.e., an RTL Tool to understand different parts of our identities.
The purpose of Day 2 was threefold:
To guide participants in
connecting with 4 profiles and types of Complaints tools.
To deepen their
understanding of electric circuits, resistors, and the practical application of
these concepts.
To start to give the exposure
of kirigami to children.
Morning
Session:
Saranya
kicked off the session with exercises that encouraged students to connect with
their inner values and introduced 4 profiles. This was followed by a discussion
where each group shared their insights on stage.
Dinesh kickstarted
the electronics and circuits workshop taking the stage to explain the essential
concepts of electric circuits and the function of resistors. Students learned
to calculate voltage and current using resistors and LEDs, exploring these concepts
hands-on with multimeters, and breadboards. The activity was not just about
theory; it was about seeing, touching, and feeling the flow of electricity!
Afternoon Session:
The afternoon kicked off with an energizing video and dance(thought break), recharging everyone for more learning. we reconnected with RTL tools and explained the three types of complaints. This made them see complaints from a different perspective rather than usual.
Participants learned to work with seven-segment displays, understanding how to use switches to control the flow of electricity. The fun didn’t stop there! A creative craft session led by Sowndharya introduced the art of kirigami. Students crafted intricate paper balls, enhancing their concentration and creativity. This unique blend of electronics and art not only made the learning experience holistic but also incredibly enjoyable!
Outcomes:
By
the end of Day 2 of the electronics and circuit workshop, students gained
invaluable insights into their inner strengths and the practical application of
electronic concepts like resistors and seven-segment displays. The creativity
and teamwork on display were truly electrifying!
Day-3
On the last day(Sunday), At First, we
planned to take the advanced electronics session only for teachers but the
effectiveness of the last two days’ workshop triggered students to participate
even on Sunday to take part in the session along with teachers.
We hadn’t expected students to show so
much interest and join the optional session on Sunday.
They learned types of switches, connecting 2 letters/ numbers (7-segment display) in the breadboard, and potentiometer to vary the resistance.
In the afternoon we introduced scratch and
polypod to explore mathematics visually. In Polypod children were also to
project on their own with the guidance of the mentors.
My name is Jayabharathy.
I stand for care and courage for myself and others. When I was a kid, I always
looked at teachers’ day as a wonderful occasion to honour and appreciate the
hard work and dedication of educators. The celebration at Udavi typically
involved a range of activities like singing, dancing and skits as a token of
expression of gratitude. It reminded me of my school days.
I could see myself as one
of those kids sitting at the same place (under the banyan tree) for the
teacher’s day celebration that took place when I was a kid in the same school.
Nothing much has changed in the love and bonding between the teachers and the
students. Children came up with songs and poems, drama and dance which were
heartwarming. I could see the quality of joy and happiness as they did their
performance in front of everyone. The activities which they had for the
teachers were interesting too.
The most interesting part
of the entire event for me was the gift that were given. We were given plants
which were arranged by the 10th std students. The idea with which
they planned to give us plants was that, they wanted us to raise the plants at
our homes like we raise them with care in classrooms. I got inspired with their
thoughts and I have planted it at my home and will nourish it with good
qualities as I do with kids. Overall, the event was enthusiastic and it gave me
an opportunity to feel the love expressed by kids. It made me feel proud to be
a teacher and do even better in my future endeavours.
Poovizhi:
We were invited to a
Teacher’s Day celebration at Udavi, where we support children in learning
Mathematics at STEM Land. The children themselves organized the event, and it
was interesting to see them take responsibility and host it. They planned the
event thoughtfully and joyfully.
The celebration began
with a moment of silence, followed by a welcome speech in which they
acknowledged teachers for their work and expressed gratitude. After that, there
were activities for teachers, such as tongue twisters, guessing proverbs
through actions, and speaking Tamil for a minute without using any English
words.
The students then sang
songs, danced, and performed a skit. They also prepared gifts for the teachers,
which were meant to remind them of the students and be cared for, just like the
students themselves. The gift was a flower plant, symbolizing different
qualities.
I felt deeply connected
and grateful for the opportunity to teach children.
Rajesh:
My name is Rajesh and I
deeply care about Integrity and care for myself and others.
As a student, I always
looked forward to Teachers’ Day with excitement and admiration. It was a day to
celebrate those who guided us and inspired us to dream. Now, as a teacher
myself, I find myself on the other side, receiving that same gratitude from my
students. It’s a humbling and rewarding experience, knowing that I can shape
young minds just as my teachers did for me. The celebration has taken on a
deeper meaning, reminding me of the responsibility and privilege of being more
than just a teacher—a guide. It’s a role where the fruitfulness of learning is
passed on, creating a continuous cycle of growth, inspiration, and gratitude.
Saranya:
The Teachers’ Day
celebration at Udavi School (This is my overall observation): It was a special
and joyful event. The students demonstrated how the school helps them practice
English—both understanding and speaking without fear—through a skit. They also
showed how much they value their teachers. A touching song about teachers added
to the heartfelt atmosphere.
A fun part of the day was
when the students challenged the teachers with tongue twisters. It was a
delightful and entertaining activity that everyone enjoyed.
The students explained
that, just as teachers have taken care of them and helped them grow, the
teachers should care for the plants in the same way they care for their
students. They said the plants are a token of remembrance, meant to remind the
teachers of their students and the care they provide.
Arunkumar:
The tongue twister
practice in both Tamil and English was a delightful experience that celebrated
linguistic diversity and enhanced pronunciation and fluency. The activities
revealed the hidden fears of many teachers, who eventually overcame their
hesitation to participate. The teachers acting to bringout the proverb from
other teachers were truly entertaining, and I was impressed by the children’s
enthusiasm and effort in expressing gratitude through fun activities.
Interestingly, I observed that English was used more frequently than Tamil
during casual conversations after the exercise of speaking exclusively in Tamil
for a minute, which made me realise that excessive consumption of anything will
ruin the originality.
Most adults look back at school days with
fondness and a feeling of being carefree. However, was school life only all
that after all? The stress of appearing for exams, and being able to understand
and do well in mathematics, would qualify as two most common fears in most
students and even the adults who now look back at school with fondness. A
research published in The Print in 2021 revealed that 82% of the students
between grades 7th to 10th fear Math, the core reason cited is redundancy of
teaching methods.
Despite numerous years of studying mathematics in school, students conventionally are not always encouraged to critically enquire why something exists the way it does. Math is also considered difficult because of the abstract nature of the concepts. What might “square roots” mean to a school student who is listening to this term for the first time.
However, what if we reimagined the teaching
and understanding of mathematics and made it visual and interactive, what if
teachers are empowered and trained to approach Math differently in the sense
that students are able to see the concepts and not just imagine them in their
minds in isolation.
Mathegramming Academy started as an
experimental start-up in January 2023 for a team of youth who were coming for
their learning to reimagine teaching and learning of Mathematics and build
responsibility and rigor in children. The goal was to mentoring and mastery of
Mathematics through projects in programming/electronics, and through leadership
in action programs. Since its inception Mathegramming worked with individual
children, partnered with 4 schools, curated and conducted workshops on
electronics, Mathematics and programming for teachers and children. They
reached over 200 teachers and 600 children directly.
The impact of Mathegramming’s work can be seen
through the gradual increase in the number of partnerships, Mathegramming has
partnered with Vaasavi international school, Auroville Schools, Government
schools like Bommayapalayam Government School and Edayanchavadi government
school, private schools like Vidhya Peetham I-school in Salem and Infant Jesus
School, Kanyakumari.
Mathegramming has not only enriched and added
value to the participants of the workshops or sessions undertaken by
Mathegramming. Those who were a part of the Mathegramming team also
demonstrated growth and learning through their engagement with Mathegramming
Academy.
“Mathegramming Academy is very close to my
heart.” Says Dharani who was one of the first members of the Mathegramming
Academy. Being a part of Mathegramming Academy helped Dharani revisit the
mathematical concepts and understand them visually. She also learnt programming
on Scratch which is something she never knew before she became a part of
Mathegramming Academy, she could share her learning with others by creating
Scratch modules for the students. Similarly Soundhariya and Illakaya also
mention that learning mathematics visually helped them understand the concepts
they never did before. Ilakkaya, despite an Msc in Mathematics said “I never
understood trigonometry even in college but here I understood the core, it all
started with a triangle and a circle is something I never knew.” Apart from
acquiring knowledge and skills directly related to STEM Education, the team
shared about gaining soft skills such as communication skills, being able to
collaborate with others, increased confidence through conducting workshops and
sharing knowledge, analytical thinking, creative thinking, and the courage to
create. The team members also grew self aware and learnt about their universal
values through participating in Radical Transformational Leadership workshop
and learned to self reflect on being in and out of integrity. Dharani also
shared that understanding the difference between responsibility and
accountability helps her in her personal life and that even when she is not a
part of Mathegramming anymore she acknowledges whoever she feels inspired by
after noticing them being in action.
The team attributes their learning in various
areas to several learning opportunities that they took like participating in
Radical Transformational Leadership (RTL)
workshops, RTL Practitioner Coach training, Drama workshop, Integral
Education Practitioner Gathering, using the videos uploaded by Sanjeev anna on
mathematical concepts on Just In Time and meetings with him. The team found
feedback sessions with Sanjeev anna most useful for their learning,
“Constructive feedback helps me see the areas where I can grow and do things
better.” is what Preethi shared.
One of the cultural shifts that the members of
the Mathegramming team enabled is in the area of gender equality. Dharani
shared that technical skills, math and science are considered subjects that
only men can do but she herself learnt and acquired the skills and empowered
women and girls to be able to do the same, she shared that sparking curiosity
in young girls through the sessions in schools and various workshops,
encouraged them to learn programming and math, and develop an interest for the
same. Similar to the gendered belief held about STEM, sports are also
considered appropriate for men, especially in adolescents girls are discouraged
to play outdoor sports, all schools don’t give equal opportunities to girls and
boys to indulge in sports. One of the initiatives to change this practice was
undertaken by Manogar, through Ultimate Frisbee, ensured that both girls and
boys get equal time and equal access to resources to play. Some other cultural
shifts that Mathgramming achieved are in the area of access to resources,
Soundhariya shared that children of government schools don’t have access to
computer labs and computers, when Mathegramming team carried laptops and taught
children to not only operate but also programmed in scratch and bridged the
problem of access and empowered them. While creating access removes the
barrier, helping children use the materials and resources responsibly and
respecting them is also something that Mathegramming worked on, as pointed out
by Dinesh. Illakaya and Preethi shared how they were able to change the way
students learn, moving from passive learning to understanding the underlying
concepts and learning through hands-on activities using materials and scratch.
As Mathgramming Academy is closing now, the
team reflected on what they would have liked to do but couldn’t. Manogar shared
that he would have liked to spend more time on programming than teaching
children. Dharani and Soundhariya shared how both of them would have liked to
partner with more schools and successfully reach above 1000 students as
initially planned, Dinesh also shared that he would have liked to do a series
of workshops on electronics instead of just one day workshop. Ilakkaya feels
unsatisfied with the engagement of children with Scratch, as per her the
children struggled with Scratch, she would have liked them to be able to use it
with ease and feels unfulfilled about it. Preethi on the other hand feels
grateful that she is given the opportunity to do many different things and
doesn’t feel that she is unable to do something that she wants to do.
As the team members move on and undertake new
roles some at STEM Land/C3STREAM Land Designs and beyond the team said that
they would all continue to share their learning with youth and children.
The team shared that they are grateful for the
opportunity of being able to work in the Mathegramming team. Through the
opportunity they also got to learn about their leadership skills. Soundhariya
shared that she realized that when she speaks powerfully she is able to deliver
the sessions better, Dharani shared that she felt like a leader because of
being able to source her inner values, Dinesh felt like a leader when he could
confidently stand in front of others and deliver a session.
The idea Mathegramming i.e. codifying our work
at STEM Land over the years is a legacy. So are curated workshops in
electronics, Mathematics, and programming (that everyone at C3SLD was trained
in). STEM Land continues to receive invitations from various schools from
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and more recently Andhra Pradesh to conduct these
programs and others in C3SLD are having an opportunity to contribute to these.
Lastly
below is how the members rated their own learnings before and after being a
part of Mathgramming Academy:
Dharani: She went from a 0 to 9 in RTL,
Scratch and Geogebra.
Dinesh: His knowledge of electronics was at 1
when he joined Mathgramming, now he rates that his knowledge is at 5.
Soundhariya: Went from 1 to 6 in logical
thinking, 2 to 5 in understanding Math concepts using materials and 3 to 6 in
strategic thinking.
Ilakkaya:
Illakaya was at 2 with her knowledge of Math and now she rates herself
at a 7.
Preethi: She was at 1 when it came to teaching
children creatively and making them understand the concepts, she is now at an
8.
Samvatsar
which earlier meant a year, now does not represent the year any longer. Instead,
it represents the time it takes Guru (Jupiter) to move across one rashi. The Jupiter
cycle is nearly 12 years. Hence, we get kumbha mela every 12 years which
follows this cycle.
The
cycle of 60 years (also followed by the Chinese) comes from the fact that a
cycle of Saturn takes 30 years and the LCM of 12 (Jupiter’s cycle) and 30
(Saturn’s cycle) is 60. At the end of a 60 year cycle both Jupiter and Saturn
will be back to the original position. These years also have names:
1) Prabhava … to
60) Akshara, but the Chinese have given them names of animals which are more
popular.
Celestial
equator, Latitude, longitude and celestial coordinates systems
As we have seen,
the earth is a sphere which rotates around an axis, the two points at which
this axis passes through the earth are called the poles (the north and south
pole)
The equator is a
great circle on the earth equidistant from the two poles. The equator divides
the earth into two parts called the north and south hemisphere.
To decide the
latitude and longitude of the given point P. We use a secondary circle which
passes through the two poles and point P. Let the circle intersect the equator
at Q. The arc PQ measured in degrees is called the latitude of P.
To measure the
longitude, we need another circle passing through the poles called the prime
meridian. In India the prime meridian was taken to the secondary circle passing
through Ujjain.
Nowadays it is
taken to be the circle passing through Greenwich. Let the prime meridian
intersect the equator at O. The arc OQ is called the longitude of P.
Celestial
coordinates
This
system of coordinates on earth is extended in various ways to the celestial
sphere. We imagine that all the stars and planets in the sky are on a very
large sphere called the celestial sphere.
The poles are extended to intersect the space as the celestial North and South poles. Consider the plane containing the earth equator. If we imagine that it is extended indefinitely, this plane will intersect the celestial sphere in a circle called the celestial equator.
The Celestial prime meridian is called the first point of Aries or the vernal equinox. It is denoted by y , the greek letter gamma, because that symbol resembles two horns of a ram, and is the zodiac symbol for Aries. Even though this has moved it is still called the first point of Aries.
So a circle through the poles and y also intersects the celestial equator at y . And the angle y Q is called the right ascension abbreviated to RA (corresponding to the longitude) and the rotation up is called declination abbreviated by dec (corresponding to the lattitude).
A
daily table of star and planet position is called an ephemeris. Software C2A
can generate the ephemeris table. There are also python packages like pyeph and
skyq that can give accurate information on the same.
Ecliptic
coordinates
In a second system of coordinates, one uses the ecliptic circle or plane instead of the equatorial plane. The ecliptic plane is around 23’ off from the equatorial place and the vernal equinox (and its diametrically opposite point on the celestial equator) is there the two meet.
The ecliptic plane is the plane in which the
earth orbits around the sun or equivalently, the plane in which the sun is
observed to move in the sky.
A
line from the center of the ecliptic circle, and perpendicular to its plane,
intersects the celestial sphere in two points, again called ecliptic poles.
We use a great secondary circle from the ecliptic poles through the point P and let it intersect the ecliptic circle at Q. The angle PQ is called the celestial latitude. The celestial latitude of the ecliptic plane is zero. The prime meridian remains a great circle through the ecliptic poles and the first point of Aries ???? which point is at the intersection of the ecliptic and equatorial planes. The angle ???? Q is called the celestial longitude.
For this purpose, there is a third coordinate
system called the ALT-Azimuth system. In this system, the basic plane is the
one which passes through the position of the observer on earth and the horizon.
Precession
of the equinoxes
This
precession of a rotating object is observable in an ordinary top. While the top
spins about its axis, the axis itself rotates. This rotational motion of the
axis is called precession.
The
same thing happens in the case of the earth. Not only does the earth rotate
about its axis, the axis itself slowly rotates pointing to different parts of
the sky and different times.
Thus,
the axis currently points to what is called the pole star. But this star was
not the pole star 1500 years ago and will not be 1500 years later.
The
precession is rather small 50.3 arc seconds per year (an arc second is 1/60 of
a minutes which is 1/60 of a degree) or precession is about 1° in 71.6 years or
360° in 25,772 (or 26000 years the rate of precession may vary a bit)
What the difference does that make?
This
extra rotation of the axis of rotation itself adds a small amount to the
rotation speed of the earth around the sun.
How much?
The
sun revolves around the sky 360° in one sidereal year, of 365.26 days. So, it
covers 1° in 365.26/360 days. Therefore, it covers 50.3 arc seconds = 50.3/3600
degrees in 50.3/3600 x 365.26/360 days.
Since
1 day is 1440 minutes, this amounts to 50.3/3600 x 365.26/360 x 1440 = 20.4
minutes. That is because of precession, the time from equinox to equinox = the
tropical year is less by 20.4 minutes than the sidereal year or the time it
takes for the earth to revolve around the sun.
First
point of Aries
As a result
of precession not only does the pole star change with time but so do the
equinoxes and the constellations. The north celestial pole, decided by the
earth’s rotation axis, is always perpendicular to the celestial/earth equator.
So
when the axis rotates so does the equatorial plane. The equinox is the point
when the sun crosses the celestial equator.
That
is, it is at the intersection of both ecliptic and equatorial planes. This
intersecting point will change with the movement of the equatorial plane.
That
is the vernal equinox or the first point of Aries will change with time. In
fact, the vernal equinox is no longer in the Aries constellation. It is
currently in the Pisces constellation.
Now what coordinates does one use to measure
this movement?
A
difference of 0.5° in 35 years may
not seem like a lot but especially for space science it can be a huge
difference because distances in space are huge.
Therefore,
NASA offers a choice of various coordinate systems, J2000 refers to the equinox
of the epoch of 2000 CE or one can use the current equinox, called equinox of
date etc.
What to do in the context of Indian astronomy
and the Indian calendar?
The first approach is that the
“first point of Aries” means what we actually observe as the first point of
Aries (mesh). This is called the Nirayana or Sidereal system. Therefore, there
is a difference between sidereal and tropical longitudes, the difference is
called ayanamsh.
Western ephemerides usually follow
the tropical system with the idea that star positions given in star charts are
to be updated every 50 years. The Indian approach has both systems.
Panchang
The
panchang has 5 elements, we already learnt three tithi, vara and
nakshatra. The other two elements are karan and yoga which we will not be
using.
The
scientific panchang has only the 5 elements of samvat, maada, tithi, vara and
samvatsar.
A karan is just half a tithi so there are 60 karana’s. These are divided into 4 fixed karan plus 7 moving karan to reduce to 11. The 7 moving karan’s repeat 8 times in a chandramas of 30 tithi’s = 60 karan’s. The 4 fixed karans are kimstughna, sakuni, catuspada, nagava. The 7 repeating karanas are Bava, Baklava, Kaulava, Taitila, Garaja, Vanija, visti.
How to
calculate karana
This is a
simple process of dividing the difference in longitude of moon and sun by 360’
(minutes corresponding to the 6° as it is half of a tithi which is 12°)
and then adding one in the shukla paksha and diminishing 1 in the krishna
paksha.
Yoga
Yoga (pronounced
Yog)here means sum (not yoga which means union of atman and brahman, but
misunderstood as hatha-yoga = physical exercises). The yoga in
astronomy/astrology is the sum of the celestial longitudes of the sum and the
moon. Modulo 360° and divided by 13°20’ to get a number from 1 to 27 as in the
case of Nakshatra’s.
That
is. It is the time in which the sum of the longitudes of the sun and moon
modulo 360 increase by 13°20’.
Yoga mentioned in the Panchang is not found in
Surya Siddhanta. Aryabhatiya or Laghu Bhaskariya etc. Its scientific
significance is not clear.
The Drk Panchang (Lahiri)
There are two ways to
correct the texts of Indian astronomy one is to attempt to calculate all that
has changed. The other is to use the understanding and relate it to the current
observations (e.g. of the pole starts, etc)
The word Drk comes from Drshti i.e. relates to current observation.
This panchang is based on the ephemeris (position of sun, moon etc) actually
observed. The starting point is the ephemeris published by NASA Jet Propulsion
Lab (JPL).
That is a tropical (sayan) ephemeris
which must be converted to a nirayana using one of the various systems of
ayanamsh.
This JPL ephemeris had been packaged
for astrology by the “Swiss ephemeris”. The original release of the software in
1997 was based on the DE405/406 ephemeris. Since release 2.00 in February 2014,
it is based on the DE431 ephemeris released by JPL in September 2013.
The authors of the package Swiss
Ephemeris are Dieter Koch and Alois Treindl sold by the company Astrodientist
AG, Switzerland.
It also has a table of the Lahiri
Ayanamsa used in the Indian national panchang one of whose authors was N. C.
Lahiri a mathematician, and part of the Indian calendar reform committee set up
after Independence.
To calculate the Ayanamsa it is necessary to set the
starting date and time. Lahiri ayanamsha = 23° 15 ’00’’.658
on 21 March 1956, 0:00 TDT (Terrestrial dynamical time). Reference star Spica,
its J2000 longitude is 170° 58 ’58’’. Then calculate precession for any time
from that value and the given model of precession.
To calculate the
panchang for a given Gregorian date. The procedure is to take a Gregorian date
and convert it to Julian day which is easily related to Ahargana as explained
above. Ahargana = jd – 5888465.5.
For that Ahargana
we can immediately calculate the Kali samvat or the number of Kali years
elapsed using the duration of the sidereal year,
Kali samvat = integer part of (ahargana /
duration of sidereal year)
Now we have precise position/longitudes of sun and moon from the ephemeris for the Julian date. We then convert it to tithi.
Traditional
method of calculating tithi
Traditional
Indian astronomy texts give the revolution numbers for the various planets.
Example as stated in the Laghu Bhaskariya 9-14
Calculate the Ahargana as explained in Laghu Bhaskariya
Different authors have different values (Table
from Rao)
These mean (average) motions are obtained as
follows,
Example
1: As per table on Aryabhata, if in 4320000 (sidereal) year there are
1577917500 civil days, then in 1 (sidereal) year there are 157791 7500 ÷
4320000 = 365.258680 days compared to the modern value 365.25636 days.
Example
2: If the moon makes 57753337 revolutions in 157791750 civil days, then it
makes 1 revolution in 1577917500 ÷ 57753337 = 27.321668 days = sidereal month,
modern value 27.321661 days.
We
can easily get the mean motion of the moon. If in 27.321668 days the moon moves
360°, then in 1
day it moves 360/27.321668 = 13.176355°, very slightly different from its
modern value 360/27.321661 = 13.176358°. Hence, in 1 day the moon approximately
covers 1 Nakshatra = 13.33°.
Likewise if in 365.258680 days the
sun covers 360° then in 1 day it covers 360/365.258680 = 0.9856°. Hence, it
covers 1 rashi = 30° in 30/0.9856 = 30.438 days.
In these revolution numbers, given
in all traditional astronomy texts, the revolutions of the sighrocca of the
inferior planets Mercury and Venus are given. This corresponds to their
revolutions about the sun.
Since the sighrocca as seen from earth occurs at “superior conjunction” when their relative velocities of rotation around the sun are most different.
The mean motion obtained above enables the calculation of mean longitude of sun and moon and planets for a given ahargana. These are mean values and the planets do not move with uniform speed as the very existence of mandocca etc. shows.
Obtaining
the truth or values required a series of corrections called the manda and
sighra corrections. These use the epicycle model to explain who the planets are
slowed down or speeded up.
In this epicycle theory, the mean
planet moves with its mean velocity in a circle round the earth (from west to
east), the true planet moves in a smaller circle with its center on the mean
planet, in the opposite direction from east to west. The faster and slower
motions are then explained by adding the two velocities.
Indians had a clear idea of the cause of eclipses
Aryabhata stated this explicitly
However,
many historians insist that Indians were superstitious and thought that
eclipses are due to demons rahu and ketu.
In fact, Lalla in his 20th chapter denies the demonic theory of eclipses very explicitly. Stating if they were indeed demons then why is it that we can predict accurately when these are going to happen.
Solar eclipses
A solar eclipse is caused by the moon coming between the earth and the sun, obstructing our view of the sun so that the shadow of the moon falls on some point of the earth.
When does an eclipse occur?
This can happen only when the sun,
moon and earth are very nearly in a straight line. This does not happen at
every full moon (purnima, lunar eclipse) or new moon (amavasya, solar eclipse)
Moon’s orbit and ecliptic
Because, the plane of the lunar
orbit around the earth is at an angle to the plane in which the sun appears to
revolve around the earth. The angle is about 5° 7’ 47.9’’.
Why a solar eclipse does not happen
every amavasya?
A solar eclipse does not happen at every amavasya, but can take place only when both sun and moon are near one of the moon’s nodes called Rahu and Ketu; these are the two points at which the orbit of the moon intersects the ecliptic.
Conclusion:
In this session, we explored the ideas of C. K. Raju, who showed us that it’s okay to think differently and question old ideas. His work in mathematics, especially with time and calculus, teaches us that learning is not just about accepting what’s already known, but about exploring new possibilities. As we finish, let’s take inspiration from C. K. Raju and always be curious, willing to learn, and open to new ways of understanding the world around us.
The month that is used to determine festivals etc (including most Indian festivals) is called the synodic month or the month of phases of the moon. A synod is a gathering of priests or religious groups where the important day would be declared by e.g. sighting of the moon. However, this is a misnomer in India as Indians knew how to calculate the phases of the moon. First thing to understand is that the sun shines by its own light, whereas the moon and planets shine by reflected light. And half of the moon and each planet (except sun) is always dark.
Aryabhata stated in gola5
Therefore, it is a new moon (or perhaps no moon) when the
sun and moon are exactly on the same side of the earth and from earth we only see
the side of the moon in shadow.
The full moon, when the sun and moon are on the opposite
side of the earth and we see the bright side of the moon.
Some of the children asked how we are able to see the moon
when earth is in between and he explained that there is a difference in the
planes of the revolution of the moon around the earth and the earth around the
moon (around 5’) and occasionally the two planes meet which causes eclipses.
Tithi
Tithi is simple and elegant system
which Indians worked out to moon’s phases. A tithi is the time in which the
moon moves ahead of the sun by 12°. More precisely, it is the time in which the
celestial longitude of the moon increases by 12° over the longitude of the sun.
[Inter
day the moon moves around 13° and sun around 1° in one day, so the relative
movement of 12° as a measure of ‘day’ is sensible.]
A full rotation of 360° with a relative speed of 12° would
give us 30 titis for the sun and the moon come back the same relative position
separated by 0° or 360°. That is, 30 tithi’s is the time from full
moon(purnima) to full moon or from new moon to new moon. This period of 30
tithi’s (not days) is called a synodic month. Tithis is not a day!
The tithi’s are divided into two groups of 15 tithi’s:
शुक्ल पक्ष (shukl paksh), waxing phase of the
moon.
कृष्ण पक्ष (krshn paksh), waning phase of the
moon.
[To
remember this we can think of Krishna – dark sot he krish paksh makes the moon
from bright to dark.]
In each phase, the tithi’s are
counted in sanskrit number 1 to 14 and then the amavasya or purnima for the
15th tithi. This simple scientific system can be used because there are always
30 tithi’s in a month.
Names of tithi’s,
In terms of days, a synodic month is 29.53 days. Why is the synodic longer than the sidereal month of 27.3 days?
In 27.3 days or 1 sidereal month, the moon has orbited the earth once. But in this time the sun has moved by about 27° relative to earth (or the earth has moved by about 27° round the sun). So the moon must move by another 27° round the earth. Since the moon moves by about 13.33° a day round the earth, this would take it a little over 2 days, plus a fraction for the 2° earth/sun movement in the extra 2 days in between. That is why the synodic month is about 2.2 days longer than the sidereal month.
How
to calculate tithi?
Stated by Aryabhata
Why 720 minutes? As 12° = 12×60’ = 720’
Two Complications
There are complications in this scheme of things. The first is to link the “synodic” month of phases of the moon to the year or solar cycle. Not doing this would make a purely lunar calendar which will slip with respect to the solar calendar. The second is to link the relative motion of the moon and sun to the civil day which is based solely on the rotational motion of the sun.
The
story of the colonized mind is that the Indian calendar is a lunar calendar.
The Indian calendar is a luni-solar calendar.
There
is a simple rule for syncing the lunar cycle with the solar cycle. Whenever
there would be no sankranti in a chandramasa, an extra chandramasa is added.
This is called adhik (more) masa. This keeps the solar and lunar month in sync.
This happens once within 3 years.
In the rare cases when there is more
than one sankranti in a chandramasa, it is treated as a kshaya (reduce) masa
and dropped. However, in this case in that year there will always be a
different adhik masa, so the number of lunar/solar months/sankrantu is at least
12. For example, if the sun transits into both mesa and vrsabha rashi in a
chandramas, then it will be called chaitra-vaisakha ksaya-masa. There will be
no separate months labeled chaitra and vaisakha.
Likewise to keep tithi synchronized
to civil days, there can be added or removed tithi. Thus, a true tithi is
always the time for the moon to get ahead of the sun by 12°. However, to decide
when to celebrate festivals and map it to a ‘civil tithi’, the tithi prevailing
at sunrise is assigned to the civil day.
A tithi or the time in which the
moon gets ahead of the sun by 12°, can be longer or shorter than a civil day.
It is possible for a tithi to continue across two civil days as well.
Seasons
An important function of the
calendar is to tell the seasons, this was very important for India which was
for thousands of years and agricultural society.
For example, when is the right time
to sow? When is the right time to reap?
In the west there are only two seasons, hot and cold, though the intermediate periods go from summer to winter and from winter to summer. However, rains can occur throughout the year. However, on the Indian calendar every two months there is a different season so there are six seasons.
Vedic names for months
The earliest vedic names for months are from before the vedanga jyotisha. They named month according to season, not nakshatra or lunar phase.
Reference in Taittiriya samhita
Many of us think that the summer and winter are due to the
distance of the sun from earth. Actually, the hot and cold seasons are because
the axis of rotation of the earth is tilted to the ecliptic or the plane of the
observed orbit of the sun (suryavrtta).
When the Northern hemisphere faces the sun it is summer in
the north and winter in the south. When it faces away it is winter in the north
and summer in the south.
Geocentric vs Tychonic vs
Heliocentric vs Barycentric
He explained the various models of the solar system
that were thought of and followed to model what was seen in the sky.
Geocentric model
Geo(earth)centric
model is what you actually observe, the sun, moon, planets, going round the
earth in the sky.
Tychonic model
All otherplanets go around the sun and the sun with all the planets goes round the earth.
Barycentric model
Moon and earth or sun and earth rotate about a common center of mass because earth is massive compared to the moon, and sun is massive compared to planets. This barycentric often (but not always) lies inside the more massive body.
Rainy season
A season unique in the calendar and
not found in the western calendar is the rainy season. It’s not found in the
western calendar since there is no specific rainy season in Europe. But in
India the major season is the rainy season because the entire economy and
reproductive cycles of animals depend on it across India.
Whereas the heat balance decides hot
and cold seasons, the rainy season is decided by the moisture balance and the
wind regime. There is no direct one-one relationship between solar motion and
rain.
Going by the western calendar often leads to the phenomenon of delayed monsoons. He believes there is a causal relationship between the motion of the moon and the wind regime for monsoons. He showed a few newspaper images as an example of delayed monsoons.
Rainy season and culture
Rainy season is when all life on the
subcontinent reproduces. Easy availability of food.
He showed a few bollywood songs to
children about how the rainy season played an important role.
Festivals
There
are broadly two calendar systems
The amanta ends with amavasya,
beginning with sukla paksa pratipad.
Purnimant ending with purnima,
beginning with krishna paksha pratipada.
The festival which falls in the
shukla paksha belongs to the same month in both calendars. A festival which
falls in the krishna paksha will be a month earlier in the amanta system.
Example:
Diwali is on amavasya in the krishna paksh. As per amanta calendar, five days
of Diwali festivity span over two months.
Diwali begins – Krishna Paksha
Trayodashi(28th tithi) of Ashwin(7th month)
Diwali ends – Shukla Paksha
Dwitiya(17th tithi) of kartik(8th month)
The civil days are the same in both
cases, but the names of the months are different. Festival based on the
Sankaranti is Makar Sankranti or Pongal transit of sun 15 jan 2024
Festivals based on christian
calendar are Republic day 26 Jan 2024 and Independence day 15 Aug. He asked
children whether it is good or bad to have the most important Indian festival
based on the christian calendar.
Weekdays
Apart from the vast majority of
stars, which move in an orderly fashion, there are seven celestial bodies which
move in a more erratic fashion. These bodies are called planets. In ancient
usage, the seven planets or wanderers in the sky, including sun and moon. The
vara or 7 days of the week, are named after the planets.
The 7-day week is common across
several cultures. Sunday, Monday and Saturday are clearly named after the sun,
moon, and saturn(shani).
Tuesday is derived from “Tiv’s day” which is named after the
Norse god of single combat. Among the norse gods and goddesses, Tyr is
identified with Mars. Tyr[Mars = Mangal, and Managalvara].
Wednesday is derived from “Wooden’s day”. Wooden is
identified with Mercury [Mercury = budh and budhvara].
Thursday from “Thor’s
day”. Thor is identified with Jupiter [Jupiter = Guru and Guruvara].
Friday from “Freya’s day”. Freya is identified with Venus [venus = shukra and shukravara].
He asked is there any reason for the order of the weekdays?
Which is original? If it is an Indian one. Why?
The logical explanation for this order of the week day is
available only in the Indian tradition. This explanation relates to the seven
planets that wanderers visible to the naked eye are as follows.
Aryabhata orders the planets according to the observed speed of movement.
The day is named after the lord of the day = the lord of the hour prevailing at sunrise. “The fourth in order of speed are the lords of the successive days reckoned from sunrise(at lanka)”
The chart for the lords of the first hour of each day. That tells us why the weekdays are in the given order.
Time and angle measurement
Most of us must have heard of
popular terms like muhurta. He asked what does the term muhurta mean?
Vedic timekeeping (before the use of
hours) was successively sexagesimal. Instead of 24 hours of 60 mins in a day, a
day had 60 ghatis (of 24 mins), each ghati had 60 pala (of 24 seconds), each
pala has 60 vipala (of 0.4 seconds).
Two Ghatis is a muhurta.
Converting hours, min, sec to ghati,
pala, vipal
E.g. Convert 10 h 30 m 12 s to ghati, pala, and vipala.
Divisions of time
There were finer divisions of time
such as (1/33750) which were not used in everyday life called murta.
1 prana = time for 1 breath = 4 sec
(15 breaths per min)
A common unit was the yama (pahar) consisting
of ⅛ of a day and night or 3 hours measured from sunrise. Thus, do pahar = six
hours from sunrise = noon.
Yuga System
There were also very large measures of time in the yuga system found in the Surya siddhanta and in the vishnu purana etc.
These
large measures of time puzzled the early British colonizers who had never
encountered such large numbers before.
One reason for these large numbers
is clear. They represent higher precision, which needs precise fractions.
There is also a difference between
Aryabhata and Surya Siddhanta. Aryabhata has all four yuga’s of equal duration.
Year and 60 year Jupiter cycle
(samvat and samvatsar)
There are 3 popular systems of
naming years, Kali samvat, year count starts at -3101 CE (=3102 BC), Shaka
samvat +78 CE and Vikram samvat its start date is -57 CE.
In the Hindu version of the preamble
of the constitution of India, the date of its adoption (26 November 1949) is
presented in Vikram samvat as Mrgsheersh shukla saptami samvat 2006. In this
case 57 years are added in November.
Complication
1
The Indian calendar uses sidereal
years not the tropical years used by the Gregorian calendar. Thus the number of
years to add or subtract from the Gregorian calendar will depend on the month.
Complication
2
A calendar has to be recalibrated
for the place since the times of sunrise varies from place to place and the
civil day and civil tithi are decided by the time of sunrise.
Aryabhata states.
The
change in time of sunrise depended on the longitude was known as shown above.
yavakoti must be east of Lanka by 6 hours, Siddhapura must be east of yavakoti
by 6 hours and Romaka must be west of Lanka by 6 hours (or east of siddhapura
by 6 hours).
Note that like Lanka, these are not actual places, but four
points on the equator 90° apart. All
four points are in the midst of the Ocean.
Because of variations of time and sunrise with longitude,
the panachang calculations are done for the prime meridian (yamyottari) passing
through Ujjain and Lanka.
The word
Yaama, as already explained, is a vedic term for a period of 3 hours. The time
difference is 1 hour per 15 degrees of longitude per 360 degrees in 24 hours
i.e, it has latitude 0 and the same longitude as Ujjain which was earlier
treated as longitude 0 degree. Later this system was copied by the British who
made the meridian through Greenwich as longitude 0 degree and also GMT clock
time 0.
